


I Love You with Every Piece of Me, It Turns Out

by litniche



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Falling In Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:02:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29144151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/litniche/pseuds/litniche
Summary: Jamie had known she was in dangerous territory from the moment the au pair had stepped foot on Bly soil, but it was this moment that made her realize she was unmistakably, irrevocably in love with Dani Clayton.orA snippet in which Jamie and Dani each experience an "Oh, this is it" moment, so to speak: Jamie's on a date night and Dani's in the flower shop when Jamie gives her a moonflower.
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	I Love You with Every Piece of Me, It Turns Out

One of the things Jamie liked most about Dani was that she listened, really listened. She’d listened when Jamie had told her about her bully of a brother and wisp of a father. She’d listened when Jamie had told her about what therapy had done for her. She’d listened to each and every story about the shitty foster system Jamie could manage to relive. And right now, Dani was adamantly listening to the comedian onstage. 

Tonight was a celebration of sorts. They had been in Vermont for eight months now and their shop had been open for six. They tended to scrimp and save every penny given all the expenses of starting up a new business, but when Jamie had seen a flyer for Dani’s favorite comedian coming to town a few months back, she had taken down the information and purchased the tickets without a second thought. 

Jamie watched as Dani listened - an activity the au pair engaged in with her whole body. Dani’s lips were spread wide in a grin and her eyes were saucer wide; she was leaning forward, literally on the edge of her seat, her knees jumping up and down as she bounced her legs, practically humming with energy. All of her attention was squarely focused on the woman on stage telling a story about West Hollywood life. The gardener might have been jealous, but she wasn’t the type. She simply enjoyed the sight. 

Jamie, for her part, continued to be more amused by the au pair than the star on the stage. The comedian was funny, sure, but it was Dani’s laugh that made Jamie’s own smirk appear. The poor thing was wiping away tears of laughter and it was all Jamie could do not to reach for the hinge of her jaw to turn her face and kiss her through each laugh. She settled instead on biting her lip and squeezing Dani’s hand on their shared armrest. 

Dani squeezed back. She raised their entwined hands to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to Jamie’s knuckles before bending over with more laughter. 

Like it was nothing. 

Like it was breathing, or blinking, or any other habit of living. 

And that was it. 

That was the moment. 

_ Oh _ , Jamie thought. 

Jamie had known she was in dangerous territory from the moment the au pair stepped foot on Bly soil, but it was this moment that made her realize she was unmistakably, irrevocably in love with Dani Clayton. It was this moment that she decided it was time to start cultivating a certain white-petaled flower. Dani was worth it and thousand times more.

* * *

The days turned to months, the months to more, and before the au pair knew it, a year had passed. A trip around the sun, and she was still here. She was still her. 

“Have something for you,” Jamie said, turning their sign on the shop’s front door to  _ Closed _ . 

“Oh, yeah?” Dani asked, waiting. She didn’t know what she was waiting for, but for a while now, Jamie had been keeping some sort of secret. The gardener seemed happy enough- happier more and more every day, if Dani was any judge of Jamie’s behavior. She hummed more and smiled more easily at customers. There were more stolen kisses when they were alone in the shop and more excuses to  _ be  _ alone if they weren’t. Whatever it was that Jamie was keeping to herself, it was a  _ good _ something, so Dani let it be. Jamie would share whatever it was when she was ready. 

The gardener held something behind her back as Dani was finishing a bouquet order. 

With a small clunk of a sound, Jamie set a small vase on the counter, saying “Yeah.”

Dani looked up and immediately recognized the rare beauty. Her brows came together as she looked from the flower to Jamie. “Is that a moonflower?”

“Yeah,” Jamie said again, but this time her eyes were locked with Dani’s and she somehow sounded almost shy. 

Dani fought the smile trying to form on her lips as her heart pounded. So this is what Jamie had been up to. “They’re really rare, you know.”

Jamie nodded, her gaze fixed on the counter. She inhaled sharply, suddenly seeming to steel herself, and looked Dani straight in the eyes once more. “I’ve got a problem. Or rather, we’ve got a problem, Poppins.”

“Oh, no,” Dani said, still trying, but failing to hide her smile. She knew what this meant. She knew that Jamie had been spending months on this, affording the plant her time and attention - her devotion. 

“You see,” Jamie continued. “I’m not sick of you. At all.” Another sharp intake of breath, and this time it was Dani steeling herself, bracing herself. Jamie was looking at her with an intoxicating mix of bravery and vulnerability. 

“I’m actually pretty in love with you, it turns out.” 

And that was it. 

That was the moment. 

She had been holding pieces of herself back - small ones, tiny even - parts of her she wasn’t sure she could give, because she didn’t know how much longer the beast in the jungle would give them.

But no longer. She may only be able to give Jamie one day at a time, but at that moment, she let herself begin to love Jamie with every piece of her, the beast be damned. However much time was left, she wanted to spend it with Jamie.

Dani couldn’t hide her smile anymore. Her lips spread into the widest of grins. 

Jamie’s eyes fell to Dani’s lips as she reached to cup the au pair’s chin in her hands, and they shared a kiss so like and unlike every other kiss: one of promise, if not hope. 

**Author's Note:**

> I am FEELING these two today, once again. *Wistfully sighs*  
> Thanks so much for reading!  
> Comments and kudos = virtual hugs


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